History of Blue Ridge Airways
Blue Ridge Airways is the flag carrier of North Carolina, with history dating back to August 2019. The company's journey is unique among current US carriers, with the airline initially operating transoceanic long-haul routes. Timeline Launch Through September 2019 Blue Ridge Airways was founded two months delayed on 3 August 2019 by Tundra. Blue Ridge commenced operations a day later with its inaugural flight between Charlotte Douglas and London Heathrow. Blue Ridge Airways launched its frequent flyer programme Skyworld in mid-August. The airline received promotion within the virtual airline community for being the most environmentally efficient, safest, reliable and punctual US airline after the launch. October Through December 2019 Blue Ridge Airways entered a period of mass expansion in October 2019, with three primary expansions consisting of domestic and international routes. The first expansion occurred on 27 September, when the airline commenced service to four new destinations - Zurich, Frankfurt, Barcelona and Hong Kong, from select US destinations. The airline operated the Airbus A330-941neo aircraft on the routes, with a total addition of fifteen aircraft to its fleet. The second expansion occurred on 1 October, four days later. Blue Ridge Airways added four new destinations - twowithin the US, one within Europe and one within Asia: Seattle, Chicago O'Hare, Reykjavík Keflavík and Singapore respectively. In addition, the airline also increased flight frequencies on multiple routes, most notably on routes from JFK to London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle, and an additional service between Charlotte Douglas and Frankfurt am Main. The third expansion occurred on 11 and 12 October, when the airline commenced domestic operations, as well as an international service between Charlotte Douglas and Munich. The domestic operation expansion saw Blue Ridge Airways operate sixteen A320-273neo aircraft to over ten US destinations, concluding the October Expansions. On 7 November, Blue Ridge Airways confirmed a 2020 Icelandic network expansion, brought up by a purchase of two Airbus A320-273neos. The routes between Reykjavík Keflavík and six European destinations were launched as fifth freedom routes, and commenced service on 1 January 2020. On 9 November, Blue Ridge Airways announced the creation of a regional jet subsidiary based in Charlotte, North Carolina: jetPiedmont. jetPiedmont is set to commence operations on 20 February 2020, the 72nd anniversary of the inaugural service Piedmont Airlines (1948-1989) flew between Wilmington, North Carolina and Cincinnati, Ohio. On 26 November, Blue Ridge Airways announced a firm order for three Airbus A350-941XWBs to be utilised on flights between JFK and San Francisco and Tokyo Narita International Airport. No expansions occurred in December 2019. January 2020 to Present On 23 January 2020, Blue Ridge Airways announced a massive expansion out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The airline added twenty-five Airbus A321-272neo aircraft to its fleet, and added 240 flights from the airport. In addition, on 8 February, the airline added 50 flights to Europe from Atlanta and John F Kennedy. The expansions are set to take into effect on 20 February 2020, the same date as the planned launch of jetPiedmont. During the same period, Blue Ridge Airways entered into a massive codeshare agreement with Falcon Airways, sharing Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte Douglas, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, New York JFK and San Francisco. Category:Airline Category:Blue Ridge Airways Category:Civilian Group Category:North Carolina Category:United Aerospace Category:United States